Hampshire Treasures

Page 39 - Cheriton

A charter of King Ethelred dated about 984 granted lands at Kilmeston
and Tichborne to Winchester Cathedral; although not mentioned by name,
some of those lands would have been in the modern Parish of Cheriton.
Cheriton is not listed in the Domesday Book, but is identified by the name
Cherytone in the twelfth century. The Bishop of Winchester has been lord
of the manor since 1316, although land has been let to various tenants,
notably the Inkepenne family who held estates from 1353 to 1597.

The parish was the scene of the famous Battle of Cheriton in 1644
between Royalists and Parliamentarians, but the exact site of the battle
is still in dispute. Lord Hopton led the Royalist troops from the
direction of Alresford while Waller, the Roundhead General, advanced from
East Meon. The adversaries met in a field near Lamborough Lane, and over
2,000 men perished in the fighting before the battle was decided in favour
of the Parliamentarians. Lord Hopton was forced to retire to Reading, and
local legend says that "Lamborough Lane ran with the blood of the
slain". Several mounds to the east of Cheriton village are said to
mark the burials of the dead soldiers.

Please use "Next page" to see Hampshire Treasures entries
for Cheriton.